PickVidsBest US politics & elections Videos
The 187 US politics & elections videos here were recommended by different people across different months. Choose by who it is for: 2 introductory, 4 intermediate, 181 for a general viewer, and 0 for someone who wants the harder derivation. Most of them are a news piece. What they share is that what remains is the argument of that moment, not a permanent textbook. Channels you will keep seeing include CGP Grey, CNN, LastWeekTonight.
George Lakoff: Moral Politics
Cognitive scientist George Lakoff lectures on how political debates are framed through language and metaphors tied to values, and on the moral worldviews behind progressive and conservative politics.
Why Electronic Voting Is Still A Bad Idea
Tom Scott explains why electronic voting is a bad idea.
Republic, Lost | Lawrence Lessig | Talks at Google
Lawrence Lessig's Talks at Google presentation based on his book Republic, Lost, arguing that money in politics corrupts Congress and eroded public trust, and outlining what could be done about it.
Antonin Scalia - On American Exceptionalism
Justice Antonin Scalia's opening statement at a 2011 Senate Judiciary hearing on the role of judges.
The Cardboard Box Reform - Nixon's Ghost Bill & A Crucial Flaw in Democracy
James D'Angelo argues that the 1970 Legislative Reorganization Act made congressional votes public, opening the door to lobbyists and special interests.
The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class with Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren's 2007 Berkeley lecture, when she was a Harvard law professor, on why middle-class families are under growing financial strain.
We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim | Lawrence Lessig
In this TED talk, Lawrence Lessig argues that American politics is corrupted by Congress's dependence on funding from a tiny fraction of citizens.
Why Your Vote Doesn't Count
CGP Grey explains first-past-the-post voting and why it pushes elections toward two dominant parties.
May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications
Seven-minute footage of Fred Rogers testifying before a US Senate subcommittee in 1969 to defend federal funding for the new Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Voting System That Should Replace Every Election
A short CGP Grey explainer on the alternative vote (instant runoff voting) versus first past the post, made around the 2011 UK referendum.
The Voting System That's Actually Too Good for Politicians to Allow
CGP Grey explains the Single Transferable Vote, a proportional ranked-ballot system, and why politicians have little incentive to adopt it.
Why Electronic Voting is a BAD Idea - Computerphile
Tom Scott explains for Computerphile why electronic voting is a bad idea, arguing that paper ballots are transparent, auditable and hard to tamper with at scale.
Jon Stewart on Crossfire
Jon Stewart appears as a guest on CNN's Crossfire in 2004 and criticizes hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala for turning political debate into partisan theater that hurts America.
James Baldwin Debates William F. Buckley (1965)
The 1965 Cambridge Union debate between James Baldwin and William F.
Our democracy no longer represents the people. Here's how we fix it | Larry Lessig | TEDxMidAtlantic
Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig argues that US democracy is corrupted by money, since a tiny fraction of the population effectively funds who gets elected.
Was YOUR vote counted? (feat. homomorphic encryption) - Numberphile
Numberphile interviews cryptographer Ron Rivest about end-to-end verifiable voting.
The Voting System That Gives You Two Votes
CGP Grey explains Mixed-Member Proportional representation, the system used in New Zealand where voters get two votes.
Animated Voting Methods
An animated simulation comparing single-winner voting methods such as plurality, instant runoff and STAR.
Mark Blyth ─ Global Trumpism
Mark Blyth's 2016 Brown University lecture on global Trumpism, explaining the rise of populism through economics, the decline of Western middle classes and revolt against technocracy.
The Alt-Right Playbook: Control the Conversation
Innuendo Studios' video from the Alt-Right Playbook series on how bad-faith actors control the conversation through debate tactics and moving goalposts.
Democrats Need to Face Why Trump Won | The Ezra Klein Show
Ezra Klein interviews Democratic pollster David Shor, who walks through survey data and charts explaining the 2024 election results.
Carl Sagan testifying before Congress in 1985 on climate change
Carl Sagan's December 1985 testimony to Congress on the greenhouse effect, about 15 minutes long.
Timothy Snyder Speaks, ep. 14: Politics of Eternity, Politics of Inevitability
Historian Timothy Snyder explains the politics of inevitability and the politics of eternity, two ways of thinking about time that frame his books On Tyranny and The Road to Unfreedom.
How our voting system (and IRV) betrays your favourite candidate
The Center for Election Science explains favorite betrayal in instant-runoff voting: in some elections, ranking your favorite first can cause your least favorite to win.